SENIOR PASTOR - BETHEL “VEFIL” CHURCH | CHERNIVTSI, UKRAINE

Vitaliy Lungu is the senior pastor at Bethel Church, located in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. He, like millions of other Ukrainians, on the morning of February 24th, 2022, suddenly found himself amidst a war in his homeland. During the first months of the war, due to the Russian military offensive, there was a huge influx of refugees fleeing from the front line cities, towns and villages of eastern Ukraine. A significant number of them would pass through Chernivtsi on their way to safety. Pastor Vitaliy, along with his children and members of the church, realized that God was calling them to serve to these refugees who had lost their homes, property and many their loved ones. Bethel “Vefil” Church in Chernivtsi quickly became a place of refugee for refugees, where they could find safe shelter – spend a night and get a warm meal. Before long, it was able to provide long-term shelter as refugees recovered and got on their feet.

In addition, the Bethel Church actively collaborates with missions from abroad. As a result of these essential partnerships, the Chernivtsi church has distributed tremendous amounts of food and humanitarian aid to the villages that have been most impacted by the Russian aggression. Their volunteers deliver crucial assistance to regions such as Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, amongst other regions.

VOLUNTEER DRIVER - UPLIFT UKRAINE | CHERNIVTSI, UKRAINE

Vadym Lungu, an ordained Christian military chaplain, serves with Uplift Ukraine as volunteer driver in delivering humanitarian aid to the war-torn hot spots across the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine. Among many tasks, Vadym delivers critical medicine to military hospitals along the front-lines, evacuates, the now, homeless civilian population from destroyed homes to his church’s furnished living shelter in Chernivtsi, a refugee city in the relatively-safer west of Ukraine.

What largely motivates Vadym and his siblings to continue in this tiring, wearisome and often dangerous volunteer work is the ability to share the spiritually saving gospel message of Jesus Christ that provides eternal hope to the often forgotten hurting victims of Putin’s war on Ukraine who face the heart-wrenching reality of a disabled, or worse yet, killed father, mother or sibling. This reality does not allow Vadym to sit by idly, but with the assistance of Uplift Ukraine, he continues diligently and steadfastly serving the hurting people of Ukraine for now over two years now.

VOLUNTEERS - UPLIFT UKRAINE | LUTSK, UKRAINE

“In Christ" is a gospel quartet that takes the gospel message, through the avenue of music, along with humanitarian aid, to the most dangerous war towns along the 600 mile front line in Ukraine. The participants got their love for Christian music and singing from their parents, as they were born into Christian families. Singing music at church services - this quickly became a highlight of their lives. At one point, one of the friends of the band was really asking to sing at one of the evangelism events, because the band that was supposed to serve could not come. Three participants (Vadim Kurdelchuk, Anatoliy Kurdelchuk, Roman Piddubny) got together, learned the required number of songs in a few days. After some time, two more members joined the band: Bohdan Kurdelchuk and Vadym Smityukh, and Anatoly Kurdelchuk could not sing for a serious reason, so the group continued on from 2019 as a quartet of four members to this very day.

To this point, the quartet has recorded 3 albums which they now sing throughout the war torn villages of Ukraine to the people who are devestated and hopeless. They believe the gospel message must go out, regardless of the perelous times their country is facing.